To you,

If you are reading this, I am sorry. I am sorry that you have heard those words. I am sorry that someone else had the power to hurt you. I am most sorry that I can't take away the pain.

For some, phrases like, "you're not good enough," and, "she's better than you," and, "no, someone else should do it," followed by a side eye and snarky laugh seem reminiscent of middle school. Those are "normal" in some minds. I am sorry that is true because it shouldn't be.

As children, we all heard the phrase, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That's a lie. The ignorance of those words brings back the pain of the emotional wounds left behind.

The ones who have been told, "You'll never be good enough," over and over and over know the truth. The truth is this: words hurt. They cut like knives and plant themselves in one place in our mind. Then they attach to something else, and they start to spread out. Those thoughts take over, and they steal every bit of power we once thought we could have. We're left broken and searching and torn, and sometimes that's not enough to keep going.

But we will keep going.

When you keep going, you will find today. Today is the day that you are good enough. Today is the day that you are better than you were yesterday. Today is the day that you should do it, whatever makes you happy. Today is the day.

You might not believe me know, or even in a few days. That's okay. It will take time to fill the spaces of your wounds, but you can do it. You will do it.

Think back to when life was simpler. You napped because you needed to rest. You ate food for energy. You went outside to enjoy the fresh air. Do all of those things now! You deserve to have happiness and health, and those things are simple starts.

After that, here is what I want you to do: remind yourself that you are enough. You are strong enough. You are smart enough. You are kind enough. If you don't believe that you aren't, there's a simple way to change that: make a change. You are enough for this moment; if you weren't, you wouldn't have made it this far. But the next moment? Do you want to be even more? Make it happen.

It's not easy to always remember how valid and valuable we each are. Sometimes we question it. But please, even if it's just in the back of your mind, know that you are enough. Trust that.

You deserve the space you occupy; never let it go.

Love,

The girl who knows your worth even when you forget it